South Carolina Upstate Spartans at Clemson Tigers

Clemson rolls over SC Upstate 76-56

Holmes, who sat out last season after transferring from San Francisco, scored a season-high 20 points with six assists to lead Clemson to a 76-56 victory Wednesday night over USC Upstate.

Holmes turned in a then season-high 18 points on Nov. 23 against Massachusetts and followed that up with his first 20-point game as a Tiger against Upstate. He averaged 12.7 points as a sophomore at San Francisco

The changes have been as significant as Holmes' year away from the game.

Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said Holmes is stepping up into his role as the team's point guard.

"He's continuing to improve," Brownell said. "He's getting better and more comfortable with how we do things. Early on, I think the first couple of games he was a little nervous. There's always a learning curve. ... As he gets more comfortable, I think you'll see him continue to play well."

Clemson (5-2) never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 19 points in the first half, stretching that lead to as many as 27 points in the second half.

The Tigers, returning home for the first time since Nov. 19, hit 8 of 17 (47 percent) of their 3-point attempts in the first half and 13 of 29 (45 percent) for the game.

Clemson also connected on 28 of 57 (49 percent) of its field-goal attempts on the night, while holding Upstate to 23 of 54 (43 percent) from the field, including 5 of 16 (31 percent) from 3-point range.

Jaron Blossomgame and Ty Hudson added 11 points apiece for Clemson. Hudson's total off the bench was a new career high after scoring eight points in eight minutes against Massachusetts.

Josh Cuthbertson led Upstate with 11 points. Malik Moore and Michael Buchanan both came off the bench to score 10 points apiece.

Payne, in his 14th season at Upstate, said Clemson's shooting and experience helped make the difference against his team.

The Spartans (1-8) were coming off their first win of the season, a 101-54 shellacking of Toccoa Falls College on Monday.

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TIP-INS

CLEMSON: This is the first time in four games that Clemson leading scorer Jaron Blossomgame hasn't scored at least 18 points. He is averaging 19.2 points this season and 21.5 over his last four.

USC UPSTATE: The Spartans have seven true freshmen on their roster this season, including local product Deion Holmes, who has already scored 20 or more points four times.

UP NEXT

Clemson hosts Wofford on Sunday.

USC Upstate is at East Carolina on Thursday.

ROADMAPS

Though located about 65 miles apart, Clemson and USC Upstate (formerly USC Spartanburg) met on the basketball court for the first time Wednesday night. Upstate, which won an NAIA National Basketball Championship in 1982, became a full NCAA Division I member in 2011.

DEBUT

Clemson center Legend Robertin, a 7-footer from London and transfer from Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, made his debut for the Tigers, scoring four points with two rebounds and a steal in eight minutes. He left the game with an injured knee.

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